A Beacon in our Darkness
by ryukaiba60
Summary: One runs from it, one seeks it, one ignores it, and one obsesses over it. What is "it," you ask? "It" is one of the four basic needs: Survival, Love, Importance, and Variety. And who are they? Four students at Beacon who each struggle with one of these needs.
1. Shopping Gone South

Thank you for joining me at the start of this tale. There are two things I need to bring up before we begin. 1) This is my first time writing a story in the first person. In order to help with this, I made a stylistic choice. All of the POV character's speech will be in **bold** , and thoughts in _italics_. If you are a person who doesn't like to read stories in the first person I will not, and can't for that matter, stop you from leaving. I suggest you give this story a try though, as it will make me happy, and not feel like I wasted hours/days of my life. 2) I do not own, or claim to own, RWBY or any of its affiliations. I do not work a Roosterteeth LLC, as much as I wish I could. The OCs that inhabit this work of fanfiction are not canon, though they all fit within the guidelines set by Monty Oum, and any events featuring them are also not canon.

Thank you for your patience.

* * *

The streets of Vale were silent as I walked them that evening. Most of the shops were closed, or almost closed, but other than glancing at their names I paid them little mind. Under normal circumstances, I would never be out that late. The keyword there being normal. A clerk at one of the clothing stores I visited told me they were least busy just before closing. I wouldn't have bothered, were it not for the fact that there was an outfit I wanted to try on. Purchasing it was out of the question, but that didn't matter.

I hadn't lied, per se, when I told my parents I was getting some last-minute things. Ammo was on the shopping list, and maybe some other supplies, but that could wait. At that moment, getting to that shop was more important than anything.

I had only visited that shop once though, as my window shopping tended to take me to different parts of the commercial district each day, so it was harder to find than I thought. I noticed it the first time because its yellow paint made it stick out from the other buildings. I looked back, ready to turn down another street before I realized it was a few doors from where I stood.

When I pulled open the door, I was greeted by a bell made by angels. There were cute clothes everywhere in all sorts of colors, with several mannequins adorned in dresses, skirts and blouses, and even some nice dress pants. The best part though was that there was no one else there but the clerk! The only way my heart could've beaten faster was if I had run a marathon. Upon hearing the bell, the clerk, a sweet old lady that was probably someone's grandma, turned around.

"Welcome back," she said sweetly, "It is much better here without such rude patrons."

 _No kidding, that lady was a jerk._ Of course, that's not the real reason I was there. She didn't need to know that though. **I hope it isn't too much trouble.**

"Of course not dear, just let me know if you need any help."

 **Ok, I will.**

She then turned back to what she was doing, and I made a beeline for the back. There were several other things that, if I had more time available, I would have loved to try. But my goal an outfit worn by a mannequin next to the changing rooms. It consisted of a baby blue blouse with gold trim and a white and gold striped skirt. I grabbed the pieces closest to my size in the stacks of like items and ducked into the nearest stall.

After taking off my pants and shirt, I slipped on the skirt and blouse. Once all the buttons were in place, I looked at myself in the trifold mirror. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of my reflection. The blouse almost matched my eyes to a T. And the way it contrasted my chocolaty hair would, potentially, draw attention away from my ears. _I still don't think my trait is from a Siamese, despite what mom says._ My favorite part though was all the gold. I twirled in place and reveled in the feeling of the knee length material as it swayed against my legs. _Dad would freak if he saw this._ I wrapped my arms around myself in glee as I gazed at my reflection just a little longer. _If only._

Ultimately, it had to come to an end. I sighed and changed back into my regular attire. I placed the clothes on a nearby desk and continued to browse. Just as I thought there was nothing else I needed, the image of my reflection entered my mind, and I remembered, I needed more hair ties. The ones holding my pigtails were the last ones I had. Through a quick search I found them and grabbed two packs; one of black, and one with a variety of colors. _For special occasions._

I made my way to the counter to make my purchase. "Did the items not fit right dear?" The clerk asked with concern. "There should be some other sizes available."

 **It's not that,** I said with a sigh, **it's just, my parents would be upset if I spent that much on clothes.** True enough.

"Well that's a shame," she said in disappointment, "I'm sure they would have looked splendid."

 **Oh, they did,** I assured her, **but there are still some supplies I need to get before I head to Beacon tomorrow.** Very true.

"Attending Beacon eh, you do know it won't be easy right?"

Yes ma'am, I said with a grin, I've been working my hardest to get to Beacon. And I'm going to make sure it pays off.

"That's good to hear." She then paused a moment in contemplation. "You know," she said as her own grin sprouted on her face, "it's always good to look your best when doing something important. Especially for a young huntress in training like yourself." She then leaned forward and lowered her voice. "So how about I give you a special deal? A pre-emptive thank you for the work you'll be doing, and to make up for the manners of that horrid woman today."

It was as if a fire had started in my chest and radiated outward until my whole body felt fuzzy. **R-really?**

"Yes, go ahead and pick one thing and I'll give you a discount on it."

 _The skirt._

Joy and gratitude fueled the fire and turned it into an inferno as I made my way back to the changing rooms. The skirt still sat there on the desk, folded to the best of my ability, so I grabbed it and ran back to the counter. "An excellent choice." She began to ring up my items, and I noticed the skirt, which was rather pricey, had its price cut significantly.

 **I couldn't possibly pay so little for that.**

"Nonsense," she said as she took my hand in hers, "that's the discount. The only condition I have is that you give it your all."

My free hand instinctively went to my face as something wet slid down my cheek. I would have hugged her then and there, despite my aversions, but I was somewhat preoccupied as I struggled to mop up my tears. Between sobs, or maybe they were laughs, I fished he needed Lien from my pocket, then handed it to her. **I promise.**

"Good, now go out there and knock 'em dead." She patted my hand to emphasize. "And I'm not just talking about the Grimm." I laughed as I continued to wipe my eyes. With things in hand, I proceeded to the door, the clerk following behind me to lock up. "Be sure to come back whenever you can."

I turned around just before closing the door. **I will.**

At that, I continued down the street with a bubbly heart and butterflies in my stomach. Once I was down the street a way, I stuffed the things in my bag and made my way to the only Dust shop I knew would be open at that hour, From Dust Till Dawn. The streets that took me there slowly became more populated, which wasn't entirely surprising considering how close it was to the residential district.

Finally, after turning several corners, my destination was in sight. The little shop sat right where the two streets intersected. I had spent many hours there, mainly because of how close it was to my house. The shopkeeper, an older gentleman with a balding head, was very friendly. He didn't say a whole lot though.

Upon drawing closer to the shop, I noticed there were several men inside. All but one of them wore black, and a red flag immediately popped up in my mind. I ducked into the shadow of an alley and watched in case my suspicions were wrong. They weren't. One of the men turned to the back with his weapon drawn, some sort of red blade, and was making his way toward someone in red. _I should step in before they get hurt._ After approaching the red figure though, the man found himself knocked to the floor by his intended target.

Another man, this time carrying a gun, rounded on the figure but was tackled through the shop window by his tide-turned assailant. The figure, who turned out to be a girl that must have been younger than me, slowly stood. Her outfit, which consisted of a gothic dress, combat boots, both of which with red accents everywhere, and a red hooded cape, was blown about by a shift in the breeze and would've looked cute, despite its intended edge. I say would, because any level of cuteness that could have been ascribed to her was replaced by sheer epicness as her weapon unfolded into a giant scythe!

With a flourish, the girl spun her weapon and embedded the blade into the asphalt and stared down the men still in the shop, despite her size. The one man in a white coat, who I could only assume was the leader of that little band, stared at her lazily. I thought he was trying to piece together what happened, but I could have been wrong. From that distance, I could just barely hear him give them the command "Get her," which brought the other men in the shop out of their stupors.

The girl swung herself over and around her weapon and kicked one man in the face before landing back on solid ground. She then discharged a shot that made her spin and used her new momentum to send another man flying, followed by a downward slam into another. With several more shots accompanied by inhuman bursts of speed, _are those rose petals? Must be part of her semblance,_ she dodged the last man's gunfire, then charged. She knocked him off his feet, dug her scythe into the pavement to swing herself up, then slammed him as well.

With the bodies, and probably prides, of his goons thoroughly beaten, the leader had stepped out of the shop as well. He looked down at the men, with no surprise on his face, and muttered something. He took his cigar from his lips and said, "Well, Red. I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening." He dropped the cigar and crushed the smoldering end with his cane. At that moment I recognized who he was, Roman Torchwick, the nefarious criminal of Vale that the police had been trying to apprehend. "And as much as I'd love to stick around," he said, pointing his cane at her, "I'm afraid this, is where we part ways."

From the end of his cane came a screaming flare which, when it made contact with the ground the girl was quick to remove herself from, exploded, leaving a rather large crater in the street. Using the distraction, Torchwick dashed off out of view, presumably down the adjacent street. When the girl landed from her dodge, she looked around until her gaze focused above us. _He must be climbing one of the buildings._ After a brief glance at the shopkeeper, she used her weapon to propel herself onto the roof of a building.

I rushed over to the shopkeeper. **Are you okay?**

"Yes."

I was about to respond when the sound of engines distracted us. I turned to see a bullhead aircraft hovering level with the rooftops. _That must be his getaway._ I quickly turned to the shopkeeper. **I'll see what I can do to help.** Before he could respond, I bolted down the street, pulling my own weapon from my bag and shifting it to its primary rifle form. Being in the middle of the street, where there was no natural cover, I opted to let my semblance wash over me, turning me invisible.

As I looked up at the bullhead, I caught sight of small red glint that flew onto the roof, followed by one of Trochwick's flares and an explosion. Fear took hold of my heart for a moment, until I saw a faint purple glow in the clearing smoke. _Someone must be up there with her._ A wave of calm washed over me as I let out a sigh. I then hurried as I dug through my bag for my magazine of ice rounds, which I then loaded.

Purple streaks then flew from the roof and struck the bullhead and caused it to sway in the sky as it tried to compensate. Then a ball of purple light flew up, formed a mass of dark clouds above the bullhead. From said mass, shards of ice rained down upon the bullhead and the street below. I was, of course, forced to dodge those projectiles. When the last of the ice hit the ground, I took aim. What I did not expect though, was a ball of fire to leap from the open bullhead door. Said ball caused an explosive pillar of fire to appear on the roof, scattering debris around.

The debris glowed purple and formed into a lance that shot at the bullhead. More fire shot out, breaking up the lance, only for it to reform and batter the top. Several smaller lances then formed and began to circle the vehicle. Before any of them could strike though, a wave of fire burst out and incinerated them. In that brief moment, I knew I had my chance. While it was hovering in a stable position, I had a clear shot at the inside of the propulsion unit.

I aimed, found my mark, and fired. The crack of my gunshot rang through the air, and my round hit its target. The inside of the bullhead's tiltjet engine filled with ice, shutting it down. I then wished I hadn't chosen a bolt action for my weapon. In the time it would take me to load my next round and bring the rifle up to aim, the bullhead would be spinning far too quickly for me to make an accurate shot at the second engine. I stood, frozen in fear as the aircraft soon lost control and careened toward one of the buildings.

At the last moment, a bolt of fire struck the ice. Though profoundly damaged, the propulsion came back to life and allowed the aircraft to regain control before it could crash. The bullhead then pushed onward, flying over the line of buildings and out of sight. Torchwick escaped, but no one was harmed.

I put my weapon away and decided it would be better to leave than wait around and be questioned by the police. I held my invisibility until I made it to the next street over. I briefly noticed the girl on the roof looking at the street as she tried to find me, or from her perspective whoever shot the bullhead, and at being unsuccessful, she disappeared behind the lip of the building again. Once I was sure I was alone, I let my semblance drop and made my way back to my house in silence.

* * *

Ooh, something in the normal events of the show changed. I don't plan on going over the top with these changes. In fact, I was originally planning to leave things alone and have my OCs be part of the "background silhouettes" in the show that have their own goings on off screen. But then came the decision of whether or not the narrator would have a weapon on hand in this chapter. I was torn 50/50 because having an available weapon meant, because of the nature of this character, that things would change. So I left it to a coin toss.

And if anyone is wondering why a name has not yet been given for our protagonist here, don't worry. It'll come in due time. No, I didn't forget to make a name, I had to come up with four color related names that fit a color related team name. And no, I didn't leave it out because I'm lazy, though I will readily admit that I am lazy. I'm just waiting until introductions happen in the next chapter.

If you enjoyed it so far, or have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a review. If you really liked it, though, let's be honest, one chapter is not enough to know whether or not you really like a story, add it to your favorites. And please, share this with your friends.


	2. Hop, Skip, and an Airship

When the alarm went off, I did not want to get up. A common occurrence for most people, but then again, I'm not most people. However, the combined factors of going to bed late and using my semblance for as long as I did, took more out of me than I realized. If I hadn't had to worry about all the other people who needed to get supplies last minute, I would have slept longer. But alas, 't'was not to be.

As I didn't need to be presentable, yet, I stayed in my pajamas and didn't even bother looking at my hair. I made my way to the kitchen where the beautiful aromas of breakfast called to me. In front of the stove stood my dad, in his hand was a pan filled with the gift of the gods, bacon!

I slunk over to the table, pulled out a chair, and plopped into it with about as much grace as a lame duck. At that point, my dad noticed my presence. "Well, well, " he said as he placed some bacon on a plate, "look who decided to join the living." The most I could manage, communication-wise, was a small groan. He then set a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of me, "Hey, if you had gotten your things a week ago, like I had suggested, you wouldn't have this problem."

 **Meh.**

As I ate, my brain took its time to wake up. I watched as my dad continued to make breakfast, his tail swished back and forth as he worked _. I wish I could have a swishy, fluffy tail instead of annoying, twitchy ears._ On the plus side, they did allow me to hear better, which I knew would be helpful when fighting Grimm.

And then, my sister showed up. _Roll out the red carpets, the princess has arrived._ She strolled into the kitchen, she practically danced, and gave our dad a hug. "Good morning daddy!" Given her demeanor, an observer would think she was the morning person. But that would only be because that was not my morning.

"And good morning to you too." With his free arm, he picked her up and kissed her forehead. He then set her down and she turned to me. She was going to greet me similarly, like she did every morning, but stopped to study me. _Here it comes._

"You look awful," she said, concerned. "Did someone use their semblance too long last night?"

 **You'd know if you had one,** I said, mocking her sing-song tone.

"Hey," my dad glanced over his shoulder, "be civil."

Of course, he would only chastise me if my actions involved Alya. _Even her name sounds like a princess._ I turned to her and made a curt bow from my chair, **Please, your highness,** I said flatly, **forgive this humble peasant for lacking manners.** She giggled, but her reaction was not the one I was concerned about.

My dad mostly tolerated my banter, but there were times, that moment included, where he gave me the death glare. Those times were my cue to stop or face his wrath. I held my hands up defensively, **Alright, I'm done.**

He slowly turned away, grabbed a plate for him and my sister, then sat at the table. Alya only glanced at her food for a second before she turned to me, "So, why were you out so late last night?"

 **Well,** I said, as I finished a bite of toast, **most of the shops I could've visited were closed.**

"If you hadn't waited so long..." she started with a smug grin.

 **Can it, I already got an earful from dad.** I glanced his way and was met with another glare. **Sorry.** I took a quick drink of juice before I continued. **There was a clothing shop still open, so I went there to get more hair ties.**

Dad rolled his eyes, "You wouldn't have to keep buying them if you just kept your hair short."

 **I've told you before dad, I don't want to keep my hair short.**

"Whatever." He drank deeply from his own glass, waiting for me to continue.

 **So, after that, I went to try that Dust shop that's open late, but it got robbed.** Alya gasped, she was glued to her seat, her food untouched.

"And I assume you saw everything?"

 **Yeah, what do you take me for? I had to find out what I was up against before charging in.**

He nodded in approval, "So, what did you learn?"

I grinned, **That Roman Torchwick's goons were no match for a scythe-wielding girl.**

"Woah," Alya said, starry-eyed, "she took him down all by herself?"

 **No, Torchwick himself got away. But she was really cool. I think she might have even been Alya's age.**

"Fascinating," my dad then looked at his watch, "shoot! I need to go." He finished off his food and left his dishes in the sink. "I'll have to hear the rest of the story from the news. You," he said, pointing to me, "don't harass your sister."

 _No promises._ **Alright.**

"And don't miss the airship to Beacon. And you," he said, pointing to Alya, "your mother said she wouldn't be home until late this evening. Make sure you do your chores and finish your assignments."

"Okay, love you, daddy."

"Love you too. Chao." With that, he left. The room was silent for a moment, then I noticed Alya still hadn't touched her food.

 **You gonna eat that?** She shook her head and passed me her plate. I took it, grateful for the second helping.

"If you keep eating that much, you'll get fat."

 **Pfft. With my metabolism, yeah right.** No matter how much I ate, I always seemed to keep my slim figure. Which was good, because I liked eating too much to starve myself.

As I dug in, she looked at me with big eyes. Finally, she said, "Well, tell me what happened."

I grinned, **Fine, if you're going to twist my arm over it.** For the next fifteen or so minutes I recounted everything after the robbery started while I ate. When I finished, I looked at the clock. Eight-Thirty.

 **I should get ready, I still need to fight off the other late people getting their Dust.**

"Aww, do you have to?" With those big watery eyes, she kind of reminded me of a kitten. _Funny, considering I'm the cat and not her._ "It'll be so lonely without you here."

I rolled my eyes as I went to rinse my dishes, **Please, it's not like I'll be gone forever. Beacon is just outside Vale. I'll probably be able to come visit on the weekends.**

"You'd better!" She wrapped her arms around me like she was afraid I'd vanish if she didn't.

 **I promise.** I then peeled her arms off my waist and straightened her out. **Now if you'll excuse me, I need a shower.**

 **...**

 _Why did the docks have to be so far away?_ I sat on one of the airship's benches as I tried my hardest to keep my lungs from killing me. I had managed to make it on the airship with about five minutes to spare. _I should've left earlier._

The first Dust shop I had visited had a manager that was rather rude towards Faunus. He still let us inside, but it was easy to tell he didn't want us there. The second was cramped, and it took forever before I could get my cases of fire, ice, and lightning rounds. Then I had to run back to the house, grab my luggage, and dash through the entirety of the commercial and residential districts.

The worst part was over, and I had the luxury to relax as the airship slowly climbed over Vale. The other future students of Beacon stood and chatted amongst themselves. Their chatter became little more than a drone, similar to that of the airship's engines. After a few minutes though, someone decided to turn on one of the screens.

"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. However, his getaway vehicle, a Bullhead class VTOL aircraft, was found abandoned early this morning in the industrial district with one of its engines severely damaged. Police are currently looking over the vehicle's records to try and pin down Torchwick's base of operations." I smirked. "If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale police department. Back to you Lisa."

"Thank you, Cyril. In other news, This Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony." I remembered hearing about that. I had debated whether or not to go, and in the end, I was glad I didn't. From what some of my friends told me, it got ugly real quick when the White Fang showed up. _What Sienna is doing only strengthens the hate humans have for us._

I missed what said after that, as the reporter was interrupted by a new voice. "Hello, and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy." Few was right, there was only a handful of people there. "Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace," _barely,_ "and as future huntsmen and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

The chatter suddenly picked up, as people looked out the windows to the city below. I turned my head briefly to look out the window behind me. Almost the entire city could be seen in a single glance. _I ran across you, now look where I am._ The view was not for everyone though, as one kid started retching. _Motion sickness, I don't envy you._

After a few more minutes, we arrived at the landing pad of Beacon. I stood to grab my things when I thought I noticed a familiar red cape in my peripherals. _No, she couldn't be here. Could she?_ I followed the procession of new students and made sure to steer clear of the boy huddled over the trash can.

When I stepped out of the airship, the first thing my eyes set on was not the high tower in the distance, or the avenue leading up to the main buildings, but the girl in the red cape. _What is she doing here though?_ I decided then and there that I had to talk to her, if only to learn her name an how she got into Beacon so early. I noticed though that she was standing with someone, a girl with bright yellow hair. _If she's already with a friend, I probably shouldn't intrude. Maybe I'll catch her in the halls some time._

I made to walk past, as they had not moved since I first saw them, but the blonde girl was suddenly surrounded by people and took off into the distance. Poor Red was left to spin as she tried, in vain, to make sense of the situation. She then teetered, which was not the safest thing to do with a cart of luggage behind her, so I went over to lend a hand. Before she could topple over, I placed my hands on her shoulders to stabilize her.

Surprised by the sudden contact, she turned around. She was a good four inches shorter than I was, _and she is certainly Alya's age._ **You should be careful Red, you wouldn't want to break something.** She then looked down, noticed the luggage cart, and quickly stepped to the side.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry! I totally didn't see your stuff there." She looked like she was about to cry, _poor thing._

 **They aren't my things.** I held my own luggage up to emphasize.

"No, they're mine." I looked at the owner of the new voice and internally cringed. Those cases belonged to none other than Weiss Schnee, heir to the SDC family legacy. "And you should be more careful around them. Who knows what kind of damage you could have caused."

 **Yes, we would want daddy to have to waste his money on more clothing.**

"These aren't clothes you arrogant Faunus!" She opened one of the cases to prove her point. From the case, she pulled a bottle of Dust. "This is Dust, mined and purified from the Schnee quarry."

 **Oh, I'm sorry duchess. I just thought, considering your cushy lifestyle, that you wouldn't want to leave home without all three of your wardrobes. Good to see your family's money hasn't completely inflated that head of yours.** I wanted her to hear every ounce of sarcasm I could throw at her.

"What? How dare you!"

"It's heiress, actually."

I turned to see the newcomer, a girl in mostly black clothing and a big black bow on top of her head. **I'm aware, I just think duchess has a better ring to it.** _More so than princess, I only need one of those in my life._ I glanced at my red friend, she looked lost and in way over her head. **Since we have determined that there were, in fact, no damages, I think I'll take my leave. Come on Red.** I grabbed her by the wrist and walked until we were out of earshot, then I sighed.

"I have a name you know." Good, she had regained her faculties.

 **Yes, but unless you tell it to me, I can't really use it, now can I?**

"Oh yeah. I guess you're right."

 **With that revelation out of the way then, I guess I'll introduce myself. I'm Dior.**

"I'm Ruby."

"Hey!" _That's the third interruption in less than five minutes, is this going to be a thing?_ I turned yet again to see who was calling to us. That time it was the guy who had been throwing up. "Did either of you leave a bag on the airship? One of the workers found it and asked me to find the owner."

I looked down at my shoulder and noticed that my bag was, in fact, not draped there. **Oh, yes! You are a life saver.** I retrieved my bag and slung it onto my shoulder, and everything was right with the world. **Thank you so much, um...**

"Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue. The ladies love it."

 **Did your mom give you that line or something?**

"No, well, maybe. Why? Is it bad?"

 **Yeah, I'd say it's pretty bad.** At that, Jaune looked disheartened. **But hey, if you cut the suave, you could walk with us for a little bit. We're probably going to the same place anyway.**

"Alright." And so, Jaune fell in step at our side as we continued down the path to Beacon proper. Then Ruby snickered.

"Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"

That was the topic of our conversation for the next few minutes. Ruby mentioned how she had come up with the nickname "Vomit Boy," Jaune tried to defend himself, and I offered some insight from old friends on alleviating it. Eventually though, the conversation died.

After a slight pause, Ruby said, "So, I've got this thing." She then pulled out her weapon, and it shifted into its scythe form.

Jaune jumped back at her weapon's sudden appearance, "Woah, is that a scythe?

"It's also a customizable, high impact sniper rifle."

"A wha..."

 **It's a fancy way of saying it's also a powerful gun.**

"Oh. That's cool."

 **Yeah, and it's way cooler up close.**

"Wait, what do you mean?" Ruby asked. _Right, she wouldn't know._

 **I saw you last night when Roman Torchwick and his goons robbed the Dust shop.**

"Wait, you were there?" They had both asked at the same time, but Ruby's question was directed at me, and Jaune's at Ruby. She hadn't noticed though.

 **Yeah, I had hoped to restock my ammo last night, so I wouldn't have to fight the rush this morning, but it didn't work out that way.** I scratched my head as I laughed sheepishly. **When I saw them robbing the store, I was going to try and take them by surprise, but then you took them all out by yourself. I wanted to help more, but all I ended up doing was almost getting civilians hurt.**

"Wait," said Ruby, "were you the one that shot the engine?"

 **Yep, guilty as charged.**

"Wow." She stood there starry-eyed, kind of like Alya. "Oh, you should show me your weapon!"

 **Alright, calm down.** I opened my bag, courtesy of Jaune, and pulled my weapon out. It opened to its rifle form, and I handed it to Ruby.

"Woah," her eyes widened, "It's so shiny." She handled it with reverence, like some holy object. The whole stock was painted metallic gold and everything else, except the scope, that was white, was painted black. "What are these white swirly designs?"

The designs she referred to were a little extra flare I had decided to add. I even hand painted them myself when it came back from the shop **. Something I came up with when looking at a cinnamon squares box.** I shrugged, _come to think of it, that's probably the subconscious origin of the name._

"What else does it do?"

 **Let me show you.** She handed it back, and I decided to take a page from her book. I spun the rifle around one side, my back, and the other side. During that time the barrel and stock both extended to twice their regular length. When I brought it to the front again to finish the flourish, the butt of the stock folded toward the scope and locked into place. Then from the grip, where the grip and butt connect, and butt came blades. _Yes, that looked epic, and I got it on my first try!_

"Ooh, a halberd! And it makes use of the heavier parts of the gun!"

 **Yep. I call it Glittersweet.**

"That's such a cool name, nowhere near as cool as Crescent Rose, but it's still really cool."

I chuckled at that. **You know, when my dad realized I was serious about calling it that, he told me to come up with a cooler name. But I liked that one too much to give it up.**

"So why did you decide on that name?" asked Jaune.

He left it wide open. **So my enemies can meet a Glittersweet end.** If my grin was any wider, my face would have split.

"No," Ruby whined, "not you too. Your Just like Yang."

"I'm confused, who's Yang? And what do they have to do with what Dior said?"

 **Well, you obviously didn't go to Signal, everyone form Signal knows who Yang is. She's one of last year's strongest fighters. And in some circles, she is notorious for her puns, which is what I just did.**

"Oh," said Jaune.

 **Most of hers involve her name though. I'm not that vain or stale. So what about you Jaune, what's your weapon?**

"Nothing as cool as you guys." He reached to his belt and detached a sheathed sword from it. When he drew the sword, the sheath expanded into a shield. "I just have these."

 **Hey, a shield and sword are nothing to scoff at. They've been around for centuries. It's a dependable combo, and there's no shame in using it.**

"Besides," said Ruby, "it's always good to show appreciation for the classics."

"But your weapons turn into guns, and other things. All I have is a shield that gets smaller and holds my sword."

 **Jaune, Ruby and I designed our weapons to fit the way we fight. Just because they have more functions doesn't mean they're better.**

"I didn't design mine though, it's a hand-me-down. my great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war."

 **Dude, that makes it even better! It has a history ours don't have.** I placed my hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. **Just remember, a weapon isn't a weapon because of the cool things it can do, heck, the first ones were rocks and sticks. It's because of the cool stuff you** , I poked his chest to drive it home, **can do with it. Now come on,** I patted his back, **this conversation has been great, but we should probably find where everyone else went.**

It turned out we weren't that far from where we were supposed to go. Everyone was gathered in an amphitheater just outside the main campus. Fortunately, we weren't the last ones to arrive. From the back end of the crowd, someone called out, "Ruby, over here! I saved you a spot!"

"Oh," Ruby then turned to us, "hey, I gotta go. I'll see you after the ceremony." She then dashed into the crowd.

 **Later Ruby.** _Shoot, I forgot to ask how she got to Beacon so early. I'll have to ask later then._

"So..." Jaune said as he rocked on his feet. "Do you... have any-"

 **Jaune, for the sake of your overall happiness, I'm going to ask you to leave that thought unfinished and let it die. Don't get me wrong, you're a great guy, and I'm happy to be your friend, but I won't go out with you.**

"Really?" He looked so downtrodden.

 **Yes, Jaune, you're not my type, and I'm probably not yours.**

"Aw, where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?"

 **Well, if you don't try to be so suave and just be yourself, I'm sure you'll find someone.**

"Really?" Hope filled every fiber of his countenance.

 **Yes, Jaune.**

The microphone on the stage turned on, the sound reverberated throughout the amphitheater, and everyone went silent. "I'll, keep this brief." Professor Ozpin, the headmaster, stood on the stage and glanced across the room. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people." It was like he was only speaking to the air.

"But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." He then turned to walk off the stage and was replaced by Glynda Goodwich.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight, tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

It felt to me like he hadn't really cared. Like nothing mattered to him, and he was merely going through the motions for the sake of appearances. **Did he seem weird to you Jaune?** I turned to look at him, but he was no longer next to me. A quick search showed me that he was next to Ruby and the blonde girl from earlier. _Well, I guess I'll hang around with my only friends here._

 ** _..._**

Ruby, Yang, who I had been officially introduced to, Jaune, and I had made our way around most of Beacon after the ceremony. We found our assigned lockers, which could be called to our locations anywhere on campus due to their rocket propulsion, and stored our weapons. We then gave ourselves a brief tour of the classrooms. By the time the sun went down, I was wiped out.

After everyone changed into their pajamas, we were all given sleeping bags to use for the night. I half-consciously followed Ruby and Yang and set up my sleeping bag next to them. I crawled inside and almost immediately fell asleep. It didn't last long though, as a blinding flash wrenched me awake.

 **Why would you do that?** I moaned. **I was asleep and would have preferred to stay that way.**

"How could you have been asleep," asked Yang. "You've only been laying there for five minutes."

 **So? I fall asleep quickly. Now, why did you wake me up?**

"Well," she said hesitantly, "I saw the way you were curled up in your bag and thought you looked cute. So, I took a picture." She then held her scroll in my face. I glared at her before looking at it. I had never seen what I looked like when I was asleep, so my curiosity won out over my annoyance.

My sleeping bag was pulled up to my chin, so my neck wouldn't get cold, and my hair fell over my face in places. My face was soft and serene, and I did have to admit that it looked adorable. **Send it to me, and this goes to no one else.** I pulled the bag over the rest of my head in an attempt to block out the rest of the world. I didn't work though, as Ruby began to whisper-yell.

"I told you, you shouldn't have taken her picture. Now she's mad!"

"Relax," said Yang, "she'll get over it by morning. What I want to know though is how the little flash from my scroll woke her up."

"It's because she's a Faunus." The voice sounded familiar. I didn't look, but I assumed it was the girl with the bow on her head. "Most Faunus have superior night vision. So to her, that little flash in this dark room would be like shining a spotlight in your face."

 **She is correct. I also have enhanced hearing. But I don't currently need that to hear you right now, 'cause of how loud you are.**

"Dior's right Yang, you're being loud."

"So are you."

"Hey, quit it!"

After that, I could hear them as they tumbled about on the floor. I was in no mood for their roughhousing though. I bolted into a sitting position from my sleeping bag, grabbed them both by their shirts, and pulled them so they were at my eye level. **Yang, Ruby, I promise you that I am far more pleasant to be around when given the full opportunity to sleep. Shut, up.** I let them go, and when it was clear there would be no more sound, I returned to the depths of my sleeping bag and drifted into glorious slumber.

* * *

If any of you are wondering how to pronounce Dior's name, it's French. I think you say it _zhor_ , but I'm not 100% sure as I don't speak French. I just pronounce it Doir, so it rhymes with noire. I know that isn't how you're supposed to say it but 1) I think it sounds cool that way, and 2) it's easier to say that way.

Also, I've noticed that a lot of authors will reply to reviews in author's notes at the beginning or end of a chapter. If you think this is something I should, or shouldn't, do, let me know.

If you like the story so far, feel free to favorite it. If you have constructive criticism, comments, or questions, leave a review(your feedback is appreciated and I will reply). And share this story with people you think would appreciate it.


	3. Field Day on the Board

Yikes! A month an a half since the last chapter. I really didn't want it to take this long, but laziness and depression, which I recently found out I have, don't mix well with creativity. I have found though that ample amounts of caffeine can help to keep both at bay when I write. But enough about my brain, on with the story!

1/15/2019 I made some edits that I'll mention at the end.

* * *

No one else was awake when I got up that morning, just like most mornings for me. That was how I liked it, no interruptions to the peace. I carefully crawled out of the sleeping bag I was in and made my way to a balcony on the second floor. The early morning air was crisp, and there were still many stars that dotted the sky.

During mornings like those, I would contemplate whatever passed through my mind. Would we make it to the stars one day, what would things be like if there were only Faunus on Remnant, I could really go for some food right now. I stood there for about an hour, mind wandering from thought to thought when I was joined by the girl with the bow, which she still wore despite being in pajamas.

"What are you doing up this early?"

 **Thinking about whatever. But this is when I'm typically up, so the question is, what are you doing up?**

"So you're saying that you normally get up at five in the morning?"

 **Well, I've been up for about an hour, so I'd say I usually get up at four. But yes, I am up by five.**

"You certainly are strange."

 **Nobody ever accused me of being normal.** I turned to face her fully and still leaned against the railing. **You didn't answer my question though, what are _you_ doing up this early?**

"I heard you get up. At first, I thought you had gone to the bathroom, but you never came back."

 **Darn, I'd hoped to get away without anyone noticing. Oh well. I guess I shouldn't be that surprised though since I was found out by another Faunus.** She took a step back in shock. **What, did you think I wouldn't notice?  
**  
She looked away in shame, "what gave it away?"

 **The bow. Personally, I would've gone for some kind of hat. Most girls that wear a bow that big wear it on the side or back of their head, usually to hold the hair in a cute style. Yours though is sitting on top of your head, and pointing up so it couldn't possibly hold hair. That, and if it were on my head, it would be in the perfect place to hide my ears.** As if on cue, they twitched.

"Please don't tell anyone."

 **I wasn't planning on it since you're choosing to hide it. I'll make sure not to stand next to you though, so no one else figures it out.**

"I just wish I didn't have to hide it." She came over and joined me at the rail, and looked up at the stars. "But I know there are enough humans out there that hate us that it's easier just to hide what I am."

 **Sure, but it also depends on what your end goal is.** The girl looked at me, confused. **If you merely want to make things easier for yourself, then yes, it is. But if you're trying to make things better for all Faunus,** I raised my hands and shrugged, **it** **won't really help much, if at all.**

"I suppose that's true." She stood there for a moment, deep in thought, as she worked out what she wanted to say. Finally, she looked at me, "If it's all the same, I think I'll keep my secret for now. After all, we all have something we're trying to hide don't we?"

 **Sure, though in my case, I'm not trying to hide it from the people here. Just my dad, who isn't here.** _Did she figure it out? It's possible, they always say you should watch out for the quiet ones._ We stood there in silence, both of us watching the fading stars. Eventually, she stood up from the rail and turned back to the ballroom.

"I think I'll head back inside."

 **Suit yourself. I'm staying out to watch the sunrise, you know, the dawning of a new day and all that. Maybe we'll see each other again.**

"Perhaps."

She continued toward the door to let herself back inside when I realized, **I** **never caught your name.** I looked to her to see she had stopped just before the door. She turned to look at me with a small smile.

"It's Blake."

 **Doir, nice to meet you.  
**  
"Likewise." She then continued through the door, and I was alone.

I turned back around to lean forward on the rail. _Blake must be pretty observant, or maybe I'm just too obvious? Oh well._ I waited a few more minutes before the sun slowly appeared on the horizon. 

**…**

One of the main benefits of being up before everyone else was that I got first dibs on the showers, which were co-ed. _I don't think I'll ever get used to that idea._ Fortunately, there were stalls, so even if someone came in, they wouldn't see me.

After getting all cleaned up, and putting on what would from then on be my combat attire, I made my way to a mirror to work on my hair. When all was said and done, my single braid fell neatly in place just past my shoulders. Satisfied, I returned to the ballroom to clean up my sleeping space.

By the time I got back to the ballroom, most people were making their way to the bathrooms or waking up. I made my way over to where Ruby and Yang were pulling themselves out of their sleeping bags. **Good morning you two.** I got down and proceeded to roll up my sleeping bag.

"'Morning Doir," said Ruby as she failed to stifle a yawn.

"Wow, you weren't kidding last night." Yang stretched, and I heard several of her joints pop into place.

 **Of course not, I take my sleep very seriously. So, if you ever see me looking grumpy in the morning, it probably means I got to sleep late the night before.  
**  
"Noted."

After I finished with the sleeping bag, I stood up to find where to put it. Before I could though, Ruby seemed to realize something and asked, "Is that your combat outfit Doir? It's different than what you wore yesterday."

 **Yes and yes. Yesterday I wore my casual clothes, and as much as I like good old jeans and a t-shirt, I wanted to wear something that was a little more... me.  
**  
"Well I approve," said Yang with a thumbs up, "especially the jacket. Leather always looks good."

Said leather jacket was black, though it did have a gold stripe going from each shoulder to its respective cuff. The only other black I wore was on my shoes, or part of them at least as they were black and white, and the hair tie that held my braid. **Thanks. I was originally going to wear a black skirt to match, but I got this one a couple of days ago, so I just had to wear it. I guess the gold stripes are what match now.  
**  
"It looks a little big though," said Ruby, looking at the sleeves, "it's like you're swimming in it."

 **Yeah.** I lifted my arms and looked from one to the other. I could easily fit both of them in one sleeve. **My dad gave it to me for my birthday. I think he's under the impression I'll get as tall as he is. It's a nice thought, but I doubt it will happen.**

"He probably thinks you're gonna get fat too," said Yang, her arms folded, "'cause that thing is big in more than just the arms."

"Ooh, maybe it's so she can cuddle," said Ruby with a sparkle in her eyes.

 **What,** Yang and I both asked.

"You know, when it gets cold and stuff, you can snuggle up with someone and share the jacket together." She then stared off dreamily. I had no way of knowing what she imagined, but my best guess is that it involved me and some potential lover sitting on a bench, romantically snuggled up in my jacket.

 **Sorry to burst your bubble Ruby, but my dad wouldn't give it to me for that. There aren't a lot of things we agree on, but one thing we definitely agree on is that we don't like to cuddle.** I could almost hear her mental image shatter as she stooped in disappointment.

"Hey Doir," said Yang, "can I try your jacket?"

 **It won't fit you any better than it does me. You're like, what, an inch taller than me?  
**  
"I know," she said, "I just want to see how cool I look in it."

 **Ok, not sure how cool you'll look in your pajamas, but whatever.  
**  
"Hey," she said, pointing her finger at me, "I always look cool, and don't let anyone convince you otherwise."

 **Alright, alright,** I pulled off my jacket and handed it to her **, I assume you want me to take a picture of you while we're at it?** She nodded as she pulled it on. I got out my scroll and switched it to camera mode.

"Make sure you get my good side."

I snapped a few shots and sent them to Yang's scroll. Despite being in her pajamas, she did pull the look off really well. I then deleted all but the best image and then saved it as her contact picture.

"See, I told you." Yang looked at the pictures on her scroll in approval. "But I think mine looks better on me than yours does."

 **Yeah, but that's because you look better in lighter colors. It's also the right size.  
**  
"Um, Yang?" Yang and I both turned to look at Ruby, who was poking her fingers together and looked altogether uncomfortable. "I think you should give Doir her jacket back."

"Why, is something wrong?"

In response, she quickly waved her hands up and down in front of her chest. I looked at Yang, then down at myself and internally rolled my eyes. I turned back to Ruby, **what, you think I'll be offended because she makes me look flat-chested?  
**  
"Uh..." Ruby had blanched slightly and was definitely more uncomfortable than before.

 **It's fine Ruby, I'm used to it. Besides, some of the cutest outfits come from the girls' section anyway. But yes,** I turned to Yang, **I will take my jacket back now.  
**  
"Right... so... how did you... get your shirt to match your leggings?" _Smooth Ruby, smooth.  
_  
 **Custom ordered.** Yang handed me my jacket, and I put it back on.

"Really? Wouldn't it be more expensive that way?"

 **Just a bit, but it was the only way I could feasibly get my emblem on my shirt. Fortunately, there was a discount for buying in bulk, so I ordered ten pairs, each in a different color.  
**  
"And you accused me of having several wardrobes." _Schnee._

I turned, and sure enough, there stood Weiss Schnee in a nightgown of all things. In her arms was a pamphlet labeled 'Dust for Dummies and other inadequate individuals.' _Nope, this conversation is not happening.  
_  
 **Schnee, I don't really want to talk to you, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to talk to me. So, let's use that common ground to make this conversation not happen. Okay? Okay.** I then turned to Ruby and Yang. **I'll see you two later.** I then turned to walk away.

"Oh, no you don't." I stopped as Weiss grabbed my sleeve. "We almost blew up yesterday because of you."

 **Correction, Schnee,** I yanked my sleeve from her grasp and turned to face her, **I prevented us from blowing up yesterday. So if anything, you should be thanking me. And don't you dare try to foist that pamphlet on me. I am fully aware of how to properly handle Dust, my dad made sure of that. He had that knowledge drilled into him when he worked at your family's mines. Now if you'll excuse me, Duchess,** I said with a stiff curtsy, **I'm going to go eat.** With that, I stormed out of the ballroom and left my sleeping bag in a pile with the others.

I had managed to mostly calm down by the time I reached the cafeteria, but I was still in a slightly sour mood. It turned out that morning we were having pancakes, I would have preferred waffles, but I didn't complain, out loud at any rate, because I would need the carbs. I stacked them as high as was feasible, slathered them with butter, drenched them in maple syrup, and found a place to sit and eat.

I ate slowly, in the hopes of further calming myself, and by the time I was ready for seconds, Ruby and Yang walked in. I joined them in getting food, and we sat at the table I picked. We would have started talking, but we got distracted by the rather loud, and very obviously one-sided, conversation being held by a girl the next table over. When we finished eating, we made our way to the locker room to grab our weapons.

The girl with the one-sided conversation seemed to follow us as we left, and it only, finally, ended when the guy she was talking to decided to speak. During that time though, I had made sure all of my magazines were in place in my bag. I had then attached my magnetic lock to the strap on the back. I checked my gloves to be sure the lock's activators were on, then held my weapon to my back until it secured with a click.

The chatty girl and her friend passed behind us, and Ruby asked, "Wonder what those two are so worked up about?"

"Oh, who knows?" asked Yang dismissively. "So, you seem awfully chipper this morning."

"Yep! No more awkward small talk or 'getting-to-know-you' stuff. Today, I get to let my sweetheart do the talking." Ruby had picked up her weapon and had started to pet it as she sighed happily.

"Well, remember, Ruby," said Yang as she unfolded her arms, "you're not the only one going through initiation. If you wanna grow up, you're gonna have to meet new people and learn to work together."

Ruby groaned in response. "You sound like dad!" She then shoved her weapon into her locker with a thud. "Okay, first of all: what does meeting new people have to do with fighting? And secondly: I don't need people to help me grow up! I drink milk!"

 **Being a huntress isn't just about fighting, it's about helping people, which inherently means getting to know them, at least to some degree.  
**  
"And what about when we form teams?" asked Yang.

"Um, I don't know, I... I'll just be on a team with you and Doir or something..."

 **You're assuming though that we get to pick our teams. That might not be an option, especially later on down the road.**

"Doir, don't say that! You might jinx it."

 **You superstitious or something? Come on, don't be-  
**  
"Ridiculous!" Jaune suddenly burst out behind me. _For rude Jaune._ He was holding what appeared to be a map and looked horribly confused. "There's no way I put my gear in locker six-three-six yesterday! I would've remembered having to count that high!"

 **You're wearing it Jaune.  
**  
Jaune looked up from his map in surprise, "What?"

 **Your gear? You're wearing it right now.  
**  
Jaune looked down at himself and realized that he was, in fact, wearing his weapon and scant armor. "Oh, thanks, Doir."

 **Any time Jaune.  
**  
Jaune then noticed that he was standing next to two girls, one had deep crimson hair, and the other was Weiss. He then proceeded to flirt with them, rather unsuccessfully, though I think the red-haired girl might have actually been interested. She seemed kind of familiar though.

In the end, Jaune got pinned to the wall by a spear. Over the intercom, an announcement from Glynda Goodwitch told us to go to the cliffs, and the two girls walked off after the red one reclaimed her spear from Jaune's hood. Jaune slumped to the ground in defeat, and Ruby and I walked over to help him up.

"Having some trouble there, lady-killer?" asked Yang.

"I don't understand," said Jaune, "my dad told me all women look for is confidence! Where did I go wrong?"

 **Well for starters, you went after Weiss. She may look flashy and appealing, but that's just a sign that she's poisonous. There are plenty of fish in the sea, just not in Weiss' frozen waters.** We then helped Jaune up and made our way to the cliffs. 

**…**

I stood in awe as we overlooked the Emerald forest. Professors Ozpin and Glynda stood off to one side as we stood in a line along the cliff.

"For years you have trained to become warriors," began Ozpin, loud enough for all to hear, "and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

"Now," continued Glynda, "I'm sure many of you have heard rumors of the assignment of 'teams.' Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today." _Cool._

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," said Ozpin as he glanced at us, "so it in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." _Should be easy enough._ "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." _An interesting caveat, hopefully, I don't run into Weiss first._ "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die." _He does not beat around the bush, does he?  
_  
"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" I didn't, but apparently, Jaune did, and Ozpin promptly ignored him. _Poor Jaune._ "Good. Now, take your positions."

I pulled my weapon off my back and set it in halberd form. I then crouched as I heard the sound of gears turning beneath my feet. Rather suddenly, I was launched from my position and found myself sailing through the air. My ears clamped down at the uncomfortable feeling of the wind brushing against them at that speed, and I desperately hoped that would be the last time I would be launched like that.

It took everything I had to keep my eyes open. _Don't think about how high up you are and how fast you're moving, just think about how to not splat on the ground. You're part cat right, they always land on their feet._ The treeline grew closer, and I knew it was time to land.

I turned my halberd around, so the hooked blade was forward. I planned to use that blade to swing, and then land, on the topmost branch for a vantage point. It only half worked though. I latched onto the limb just fine, but I over-shot the upswing and missed it on the way back down. To keep from falling to my death, I dug the hooked end of the halberd into the side of the tree to slow my descent. I was thankful I wore my gloves, otherwise my grip would have slipped.

By the time I came to a stop, I was about half-way down the tree. The good news was I could get down easier. The bad news was I didn't have that vantage point I had hoped for. I sighed and continued down from the tree.

The ground was entirely covered in foliage, from moss and grass to bushes and ancient trees. There were many places a Grimm could hide, so I kept my head on a swivel to match my ears which always were. I carefully picked my way through the undergrowth and hoped I could find a clearing to get my bearings.

No birds sang, and there were no other noises from any other woodland creature. _Probably because there are so many Grimm here._ I came across a set of bushes just before a clearing and used them as cover. I carefully peeked over the bushes and, sure enough, there was a pack of Beowolves.

I activated my semblance and quietly made my way up into the branches of the nearest tree. Once there, I shifted my weapon into its rifle form and took aim. It was a small pack, only four members strong, but even one was dangerous. Especially when one was an alpha.

Fortunately for me, one of the Beowolves was mostly facing me as it prowled the clearing. Also, thankfully, it was mainly standing still. I brought my weapon up and focused the sights of the scope on one of its glowing eyes. I took a breath and pulled the trigger. The resounding crack of the shot drew the attention of the other three to their pack-mate who, in the second it took to fall to the ground, had almost entirely dissolved into black smoke.

The alpha looked around, growled, and dashed from the clearing into the cover of the trees. The last two also broke off, one went to circle the perimeter, and the other went in the direction of its fallen companion, toward me. Its head was moving too much to get a clear shot, so I went for its unarmored shoulder, which was relatively level despite it running, to cripple it.

My shot caused the Beowolf to stumble slightly, but it kept going, albeit at a slower pace. I then pegged its other shoulder, forcing it to stop. It stood on its hind legs and howled in frustration, and exposed its chest. With one more easy shot, it died. The one on the edge of the clearing was a little harder, as it ran mostly perpendicular to me. I missed the first shot, but lead a little farther on the second. It was knocked off balance by a direct hit to its side, and one last shot put it down.

With one shot remaining in the chamber, I switched magazines to one containing lightning Dust rounds. The alpha would be much harder, and I needed every advantage I could give myself. I did not expect the sudden force that slammed into the tree I was in, and I gracelessly fell to the ground. I barely rolled out of the way as it pounced on my location, and tried to get a pot shot on it. The bullet merely ricocheted off its armor plating uselessly.

 _It probably picked out where I was from the gunshots._ I stood slowly, trying not to make noise, as the alpha looked around for me. I had no doubt it couldn't see me, but it could hear me, _and probably smell me. If I play my cards right, I can use that to my advantage._ I shifted my weapon to halberd form, and the alpha turned in my direction. With my weapon held as far from my body as possible, I loaded the first round, and the three blades became charged with electricity. I then pulled into a ready stance as the alpha locked onto where the sound had come from.

It swiped forward, with plenty of room to spare between me and its claw, and left itself wide open. I lunged forward and brought the spear-head into its side. It howled in pain and, with the brief moment it was stunned by the lightning, I got a clean cut with the axe-head. It swiped once again, but I rolled out of the way and managed to get the hooked blade on one of its hind legs. With the muscles severed, it collapsed to one knee. However, it used that motion to find me and hit me with a heavy backhand that sent me into the center of the clearing.

At that point, I decided to try something risky. If I positioned myself wrong or didn't time it just right, I could wind up dead. I stood in my ready stance, loaded the next round to draw its attention, and made myself visible for a few seconds. It was just enough for it to see exactly where I was, but not enough for it to see what I would do next.

The alpha took the bait and charged forward. Even with its gimpy leg it still covered the distance in a short amount of time. I held the pole end of the halberd in both hands, pointed the spear end toward the ground, and moved it and centered the hooked end between me and my foe. At the last possible second, I jumped.

I vaulted over the spiked back of the Grimm, and when I felt the tug of the blade making contact with its throat, I pulled. With the combination of our opposing momentum and the electric shock removing the resistance of its neck muscles, the blade passed quickly through the neck. It wasn't long enough to decapitate it, like Ruby's scythe would, but it did enough damage that when I landed, the beast faded into smoke.

I let my invisibility fall completely and stood there to catch my breath. I thanked whatever gods might be watching, then shifted my weapon to its rifle form. After a few more minutes, I set off once more into the forest.

For the next hour, I didn't come across any other Grimm. I saw plenty of evidence that they had been there, tracks, marks in the ground and trees from clashes with other students, but no actual Grimm. I was okay with it, as I had to stop several times to make sure I was still going north. Eventually, though, I came across more substantial evidence, someone fighting. Or at least, the ending of a fight.

A girl with blue hair stood over the remains of an Ursa as she pulled her weapon, a large Warhammer with a menacing spike on one side, from its disintegrating skull. When she heard me approach, she turned to look at me. She wore dark purples and blues, and her face was framed by her vibrant purple bangs. Her dark blue eyes locked onto mine, and we stood in silence for only a moment.

"Do you have a partner yet?" I simply shook my head. "I suppose that makes us partners then." She then held out her hand, "I'm Violetta, but you can call me Violet or Vi if you want."

 **Doir. It's nice to meet you, Violet.** We shook hands, then she looked me up and down.

"What's your weapon and semblance?"

 **Uh, a rifle-halberd and invisibility.  
**  
"How long can you stay invisible?"

 **A couple of hours at most. The longer I hold it though, the more tired I am by the end of the day.  
**  
She stood in thought for a moment. It almost felt like she was scrutinizing me, before she said, "I suppose we'll have to use it sparingly then." She hefted her hammer close to the head and turned around. "Come on. I think the temple is a little farther this way."

So we walked. I felt like I should have talked to Violet about something, anything, but nothing came to mind. I ended up just walking behind her in awkward silence for what felt like a small eternity. I think she noticed at some point, because as we walked through a particularly dense section of the woods, she said, "Usually I'd be more talkative, but this forest has me on edge. Don't really want to be caught off guard by the Grimm, you know?"

 **Yeah, that makes sense. I'll keep an ear out.** And so I did. I concentrated on the sounds of the forest, the slight rustling of the leaves, the sound of a stream somewhere in the distance, and it actually helped me not feel so bad about our silence. Unfortunately, I was so focused on the sounds around us that I didn't notice when Violet stopped, and I ran into her. **Sorry.  
**  
"It's okay. Look." She pointed to a spot ahead of us. There was a small cliff with a cave on the side. "How good are you at climbing?"

Okay, I guess.

"Good. It'll take longer, but I think it'll be safer than going through that cave. Who knows what could be in there."

Going up the cliff was a lot slower, and it was somewhat nerve-wracking when a gigantic Nevermore flew overhead, but we ultimately made it to the top without incident. From the top of that small cliff, we could see most of a small valley. In the middle was the temple we were meant to find, and around it was a straight section devoid of trees littered with large black feathers sticking from the ground and one large chunk of ice. Off to the east, trees collapsed as something moved through them, and the Nevermore flew overhead in that direction.

 **I say we get down there, grab the relic, and get out before those things come back. Agreed?  
**  
"Agreed."

The descent from the cliff was much faster than the ascent, as the cliff face wasn't quite so steep on the north side. We forged our way through the thicket at the bottom and found the open space. _Perhaps_ _it had once been a road._ After we determined there were no Grimm, we ran to the temple at the end. To our surprise, there were two others already there. As we drew closer, I picked up on the tail end of their conversation.

"... can be very important in the endgame." The first voice belonged to a guy wearing an entirely white three-piece suit and had slicked back silver hair.

The other guy, who was fairly tall with orangey brown hair and wore various shades of brown, shook his head. "Whatever, I don't care. Just grab it and let's get out of here. Even I don't want to mess with a Nevermore." He then turned and noticed us, and his entire demeanor changed. "Why hello ladies, fancy meeting you here." _Oh no, he's gonna be one of those._

"Oh no you don't," said the guy in white, "I already wasted enough time fruitlessly explaining the significance of this relic to you, we are not wasting more time so you can flirt while there is a Nevermore on the loose! We are leaving!" He then grabbed the guy in brown by the arm and dragged him away from the temple.

"But I wanna talk to the girls," the guy in brown whined.

"I don't care!"

And just like that, they were quickly in the clearing and putting distance between us. Violet and I both looked at each other, shock and confusion probably written as clearly on my face as it was on hers.

"What just happened?"

 **I don't know. Should we laugh or what?**

"I don't know. Just grab a relic and let's get out of here."

I turned back to the temple, it looked more like a shrine to me, and saw several stone pedestals, each with a gold or black relic resting on it, in a semi-circle around the place. I went up to the closest one with a gold relic and placed it in my bag, not caring what it was. **Now what?**

"That depends, how well can you see in the dark?"

 **Really well.  
**  
"Then I think we should take that cave. I'd rather fight off a few Grimm in the dark and get this over with than come across more surprises like that."

 **I'm okay with that.**

When we got to the cave though, those two guys were standing outside it, arguing loudly. "No," yelled white, "you are not going to carry me up that cliff again! We almost fell to our deaths because you couldn't keep your balance!"

"But neither of us will be able to see where we're going," yelled brown, "we could get lost in there for days and starve to death!"

"We'll be fine as long as we keep one hand on the wall at all times!"

"That'll still take forever!" Once again brown was the first to notice us. "Hello again ladies, don't mind us. I'm simply trying to get him to do the reasonable thing and go over this cliff."

"Reasonable?! What's reasonable about falling to our deaths?!"

I had no desire to listen to them argue. **Hey!** They both stopped to look at me, a little jarred by the fact that I prevented them from ripping out each other's throats. **We're going to go through that cave, as I can see in low light. Join us or don't, I don't care, but stop arguing!  
**  
They both looked at each other, then back at me. "Okay," they both said.

Satisfied, I dug in my bag for a marker, took the magazine of lightning rounds from my rifle, wrote a five on it, and replaced it with one with fire rounds. I then unloaded my previously spent shot, shifted my rifle to halberd form, and charged the blades with fire Dust as I walked into the cave. **Stay behind me and follow my light.** I walked inside, and Violet fell in step beside me.

"Are you sure you want them following us?"

 **Violet, do you want them to argue about whether or not to follow us for the next ten minutes and have it echo throughout the cave?  
**  
"No."

 **Then they can follow us.  
**  
It grew rather dark as we proceeded further into the cave, but with my weapon functioning as a stand-in for a torch, I could see for a decent distance. The two guys quickly followed in behind us, and we made our way through the cave in relative quiet. Occasionally, I would call out some obstacle in the path and how to avoid it. A few minutes into the cave, one of the guys spoke up.

"So, how about we all introduce ourselves?"

 **Go ahead, but I can't afford to turn and look at you.  
**  
"Alright, I'll start then. My name is Tawn. I'm the one with the sweet muscles."

I rolled my eyes. **The tall one. Got it. I'm Doir.  
**  
"Hey, I'm more than just tall."

 **Yes, but I don't really care. And your attempts to flirt won't get you anywhere with me.**

"Darn," he said with a sigh, "that's another one off the table I guess."

 **Wait, you're just going to drop it like that?  
**  
"Yep, I decided years back that if a girl told me she wasn't interested, I'd respect her decision and look elsewhere."

"How thoughtful," said Violet, "if only all guys were like that." She sighed, "well, you've earned my respect in that regard, but, you'll have to add me to your list of uninterested girls."

"Alright, but I'll need to know your name before I can add it to the list."

"Violetta, you can call me Violet or Vi though."

"Cool, Vi it is."

 **So if Tawn is the tall one, what does that make the one in the suit?  
**  
"Nevada Cledwyn," he responded, "it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Well then," said Tawn, "now that we're all introduced, how about we-"

Just then, I heard a scuttling noise. **Hold up.  
**  
"What is it," asked Violet.

 **I heard something.** Sure enough, I heard it again. **I think there's something behind us.** I turned around and looked into the darkness we had just come from. At first, there was nothing, but after a moment a small golden light appeared in the distance. **I don't know what it is, but it probably isn't a nice something. We should pick up the pace.** Without question, everyone walked faster.

As we progressed through the cave, I used my ears to guide us. I could tell a path wasn't going to lead us out when I could hear a distinct echo from it. At some point, Tawn had turned around, or at least I presume he did, because he said, "guys, whatever is following us is catching up."

By that point, the cave had begun to slowly get brighter. **Then we should run, I think we're close to the entrance.** It was a good thing too, as the fire on my weapon had started to diminish. So we all took off, and sure enough, the exit to the cave was in sight.

The sun blinded me as we exited the cave, but I didn't have time to think about that. We had about a minute before whatever followed us made it out of the cave. Violet immediately took charge.

"Tawn, Nevada, what weapons do you have?"

"Dust infused darts," said Nevada.

"My fists," Tawn said, as he pounded them together, "or I guess this pair of cesti if you want to be specific."

Violet stood there as she worked out a plan. "Alright," she finally said, "Doir and Nevada, I want you two to take up positions on either side of the mouth of the cave. If this is a Grimm, which it probably is, use fire dust to make the cave collapse on it. If that doesn't outright kill it, it will at least injure it, and put you in the position to flank it. Tawn, you and I will stand where it can see us and use our brute force to keep it occupied. Right now, its only advantage is that we don't know what it is, but we should still be careful. Everyone got it?"

 **Got it,** we all said. I shifted my weapon to rifle mode and ran to one side of the cave. I loaded up the next shot and looked at Nevada to see that he had a handful of several small darts. With everyone in position, all that was left to do was wait. It wasn't a long wait though. There was a rumbling noise, and the cave exploded. Pieces of rock flew everywhere, and I was forced to hold my arm up to protect my face and eyes from debris. There was a loud screech, and the dust quickly settled to reveal a large, and rather pissed off, Deathstalker.

 _Flanking it is._ **Fire!** I pulled the trigger, and the creature's side erupted in a ball of flame. Despite our attacks hitting its unarmored sides, the explosions seemed to barely phase it physically. Confused from the double flank, the Grimm cried out and rushed forward at Violet and Tawn. Violet went to meet its attack head-on, claw met hammer with a resounding crash, and the attacks reflected off each other. The Deathstalker prepared to run her through with its stinger, but she managed to get out of the way just as it lashed out.

It surprised me just how fast that thing was, compared to its size. Violet and Tawn would switch off on dealing blows, but it would either block with a claw or simply take the hit. Rather than risk burning down the forest, I had taken to hand-loading individual rounds depending on the Dust I felt I needed. But nothing really seemed to work, as it moved around far too much for anything to hit a soft spot. **We need to try another approach. This isn't working!**

"Try and see if you can immobilize it," shouted Violet, "that way we can try to get past its armor!"

I loaded an ice round and fired at the ground near its legs. A layer of ice spread out over its legs and the ground, forcing it to pause briefly. With that opportunity, Tawn dashed forward and dished out blow after blow, each accentuated by a purple flash. _Gravity Dust._ Those punches had a far greater effect than anything else we had thrown at it thus far. After one of the punches landed on its claw, the Deathstalker managed to deflect enough of the force that it sent Tawn flying into the foliage.

The ice entrapping its leg then gave way, and the Grimm turned its attention to Violet. She shifted her stance, and the head of her hammer dropped to the ground, connected by a chain. She then swung her flail around in an attempt to hit its legs. Once more I shot to encase its legs, and that combined with Violet's attack managed to break two of them. From the trees, I heard what sounded like a strong gust of wind, and a tree fell to the ground. A moment later, Tawn emerged from the treeline, an entire tree with one end sharpened to a spike held over his head. "Nevada," he shouted, "Light me up!" He then jumped in the air and hurled the thing at the crippled Deathstalker.

Just before the tree collided with the Deathstalker's face, Nevada pegged the tip with several darts, which caused a fiery explosion upon contact. When the smoke cleared, the Grimm roared in frustration, its armor plating severely cracked. "Doir, Nevada," yelled tawn, "try and distract it, I have an idea!" He then handed a gravity Dust crystal to Violet, briefly said something to her, and put distance between himself and the Deathstalker.

I took a few more shots to freeze the Deathstalker's legs, and Nevada reached into his suit coat and pulled out a small throwing knife. Set in the knife's pommel was a small fire Dust crystal. He then positioned himself closer, then threw the knife into its eye. The blade dug into the glowing orb. Then there was a small explosion. The Grimm screeched in pain and began to flail about wildly.

At that point, Tawn rushed forward to enact his plan. He jumped over the swinging claws, ran across the creature's cracked face, then grabbed it by the tail! He then made his way to the ground and began to swing it around into the ground and various trees. After a few more swings, he brought the Deathstalker down in an overhead swing. Violet took the Dust crystal at that moment, smashed it on her weapon, in its hammer form, and swung up into the oncoming Grimm. Upon impact, the armor plating completely shattered, and most of its head disintegrated into smoke.

We all walked over as the remaining bits of Grimm faded away. With the threat averted, we looked at Tawn. **How did you do that?**

"It's my semblance. Anything I hold onto becomes completely weightless." He stared at his hands as he flexed them. "By the way, Doir?"

 **Yeah?**

"I noticed that sweet pun you made."

I grinned, **Good, I was hoping someone would.**

"Can we just get out of here now," asked Violet with a sigh.

 **…**

After what felt like ages, the four of us finally made it back to the cliffs where it all started. We were lead back to campus by one of the instructors to get food and rest. There were still about half of the students in the forest, so we were told to wait until everyone was accounted for. After a few more hours the school was finally called to meet in the amphitheater for the results of the initiation.

All of us first years were asked to stand to one side of the stage while everyone else filled the seats above and the floor in front of the stage. When it seemed everyone was present, Professor Ozpin positioned himself in front of the microphone. The whole room went quiet, and he began.

"Thank you all for joining us this evening. As you may well know, today we held the initiation for those students who will be joining us at Beacon this year. I am pleased to announce that this year, of the forty students that participated, there were no casualties." There was a brief moment of applause before he continued. "Of those forty students though, only sixteen received a passing grade. Those twenty-four students will be required to take, along with their regular list of classes, extra remedial lessons until their grades are brought up and will not be assigned teams at this time." The first years that statement applied to jeered in response. Ozpin ignored them though.

"This year, teams were determined by the relic each partnership retrieved. When I call your names, come up to the stage for the assignment of your team." _Shoot, he's probably going to use our full names, isn't he? Alright, just stay calm, don't go invisible, and don't let the fact that it bothers you show._ "First off: Violetta Anara, Nevada Cledwyn, Tawn Eichel, Durian Besart." Upon hearing my name, I felt my ears clamp down over my head. _Traitors! Stop showing my emotions!_ The four of us went up to the stage, and the other three briefly glanced at me. "The four of you retrieved the white pawn pieces. From this day forward, you will be known as team Verdant." The screens around the room displayed our pictures with a letter under each, spelling out VDNT. "Lead by… Violetta Anara." There was a round of applause. Then we were ushered off the stage.

When we were off the stage, Violet turned to me, "I thought you said your name was Doir?"

I sighed, **legally it isn't, but I'd prefer if you called me that anyway.**

"What's wrong with Durian?" asked Tawn, "It sounds like a nice name to me."

 **I don't want to talk about it right now.** I then tried my hardest to ignore everything but what Ozpin was announcing. I missed the names of the first group, but they were four guys and were called team Cardinal, lead by Cardin Winchester. Then there was team Juniper, consisting of Jaune, a Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, _No wonder she looked familiar,_ and a Nora Valkyrie, lead by Jaune. **Way to go Jaune!** Finally, team Ruby, consisting of Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, _that was going to be confusing for people,_ Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. Lead by Ruby, **way to go!**

After the final round of applause, Ozpin said, "it looks like things are shaping up to be an… interesting year." Chatter in the room then increased as all the students talked about the new teams. As it was getting late, I was about to suggest we make our way to our dorm room, when Ozpin suddenly returned to the microphone.

"Before you head to your dorm rooms for the evening, there is one last thing I would like to mention." The chatter in the room decreased again, though was not completely gone. "I would like to remind students, especially those joining us this year, that while you are free to wear what you wish for combat and in your dorm rooms, you young men and women are required to wear your specified male and female uniforms respectively. No exceptions. This includes you, _Mr._ Besart." Everyone went silent. The blood in my veins turned to ice as I felt eyes turn to me, and there was nothing in the world at that moment that could keep me from turning invisible.

* * *

Favorite if you liked it, Review if you have questions or comments. :D

Edit: 1/15/2019 I changed how the scene with Blake ended. The way it was made him feel different about what he was doing than I originally planned. I also changed the name he goes by from Dior to Doir, not much of a change, but it changes to pronunciation to one I'm more comfortable with.


	4. The Longest Day

**Important Notice**

 _I made some minor edits to the previous chapter. The most important one being a change in spelling for the sake of pronunciation._

 _See the previous chapter for details._

I don't mean for it to take this long with my chapters, honest. I just get stuck and/or distracted a lot. Hope you enjoy though.

* * *

I refused to talk to my teammates for the rest of the evening. **I'll tell you guys about it before breakfast tomorrow,** I had told them. Honestly, they hadn't done anything to deserve the cold shoulder I had given them, but I needed to process things. I stayed invisible all the way to our dorm, I didn't want anyone to be able to look me in the face, and even then, I didn't become visible again until I was sure the others had fallen asleep. Then I just sat there on my bed to think.

 _Uh, why did Ozpin have to call me out on it like that? I mean, sure, I was expecting some people to figure it out. I would have been fine if I could've told people about it at my own pace, but now the whole school knows. Any perceptions people might have had about me are probably, 'so he's a Faunus and a freak,' now._

 _And what about Ruby, Yang, and Jaune? To find out that I basically_ _lied to their faces for two days? What will they think of me now? And my team? Well, they're stuck with me regardless, but that doesn't make it any more comfortable for them or me._

I tried to calm my thoughts and get some sleep, but it didn't come easily. Even when it did, it didn't last long. Combined, I probably only got a couple of hours before I finally gave up. For the next few hours, I sat on my bed with my knees to my chest and ran through all the most likely questions that would come up and how I would respond. Eventually, the others woke up, Violet first, she looked the most concerned, then Nevada, and finally Tawn.

They all sat on their respective beds, expectant looks on their faces. I sighed, **I guess I'll start by getting the most common questions out of the way. First of all: no, I'm not gay. And before you ask, yes, I'm sure. I'm attracted to girls, not guys. Second: no, I don't think of myself as being a girl, and I'm not trying to be one. I think of myself as a guy, and I'm fine being a guy. Third: it isn't a... sexual thing... it's just what I'm more comfortable with. Some people, when they want to relax, change into jeans or sweats or whatever. I just happen to prefer a skirt and something cute instead.**

They were silent for a minute or so, trying to figure out what to ask first I'm sure, before Violet finally spoke up. "When were you planning on telling us?"

 **Whenever you decided to ask.**

"But why didn't you correct any of us?"

 **It was easier that way. Things usually get really awkward when I correct people, so I usually don't. I figured you'd connect the dots eventually and ask in private. I had hoped to just wear the girl's uniform, go about my business, and let the circle of those that know stay to those that care. But, with Ozpin's 'announcement,' I don't get that luxury.**

There was a brief pause, then Tawn asked, "how long have you been doing it for?"

 **I started when I was about six, so... eleven years now.**

"Does anyone in your family know," asked Violet.

 **My mom does. I think she's mostly okay with it. My sister and dad don't know, and I know my dad would be furious. He tried to put a stop to it when I was eight, but I continued doing it in secret.**

Nevada finally spoke up, "how did it all start?"

 **Well, that's a rather complicated story. Maybe when we have more time, I'll tell you the full version. To put it simply, I played dress-up with my sister and one of her friends. It became a regular thing, and the habit just stuck. After so many years, I just became more comfortable in girl's clothes.**

There was another pause as my words sank in. Pretty soon there would be objections, disgust, probably an argument, "how do you make yourself sound like a girl," asked Tawn suddenly. Violet and Nevada glared at him, and I smirked into my knees, "what," he asked defensively, "I'm curious."

 **It's okay,** they all looked back at me, **it took a lot of practice.** I relaxed my throat so my voice would fall in its more natural range. It wasn't quite as deep as Tawn's, but it certainly deeper. **I guess now's as good a time as any for you to get used to my normal voice though.** They all stared at me in shock.

"Dude," said Tawn in awe, "that's freaky." Violet's look of shock immediately turned to a look of death as she faced Tawn. "I-I mean," said Tawn, stumbling over his words, "I just- I didn't mean it in a bad way… I- uh- just wasn't expecting it."

 **It's okay Violet, that's normal. I'm used to it.** Her gaze lingered for a moment longer before she turned back to me. **To be fair though, the circumstances are a little backward.**

"What do you mean," asked Nevada.

 **Well, usually people already know I'm a guy, and they find out that I like to wear girl's clothes and how well I can sound like a girl. In this instance, you already knew how well I sound like a girl, and you learned that I'm a guy that likes to wear girl's clothes.**

"Fair," he responded.

After another moment of silence, I finally sighed. **Well, unlike the rest of the school, you guys know the important stuff behind the truth. So, do with it as you will.**

We sat there for another minute or so, though it felt longer. I could only assume they were trying to come to terms with everything I told them. Eventually though, Tawn looked at the little clock on the desk and stood. "Well," he said, "if that's everything, we should get ready for breakfast."

"Tawn!" Violet said incredulously, "how can you be so insensitive?"

"As insensitive as it may be, he has a point." Nevada got up and stood next to Tawn. "We don't have all day to sit around and talk about the how's and why's of Doir's manner of dress. I honestly don't care what he wears, so long as it doesn't keep him from being an effective member of this team." He then went to the closet and grabbed his towel and some other supplies. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a shower." With that, he left.

"And he calls _me_ insensitive." Said Tawn. "Well," he shrugged, "I'm also gonna get a shower. You do you Doir." He then grabbed his shower supplies and made for the door. "See you at breakfast."

That just left Violet. She stood from her bed as well but didn't leave. "Jerks," she said under her breath. She then turned to me, sympathy written all over her face. "This will take a bit of time for me to get used to, but I want you to know you have my support."

 **Thanks Violet, that helps.**

"There is one thing I want to make clear though."

 **Oh?**

"I'm not going to let you borrow any of my clothes."

I rolled my eyes, **Alright. I probably wouldn't fit any of them, but okay.**

She placed her hands on her hips and smirked, "Are you calling me fat?"

 **No, I'm calling me a twig. Look at me,** I indicated my body, **if I were any skinnier, you'd be able to see through me. Not to mention the fact that you have at least four inches on me.**

 **"** Oh, right. Wait, was that joke on purpose?"

 **Huh, no it wasn't.** Then I grinned, **but it will be now.** She rolled her eyes and laughed a little.

 **We should get our showers in as well. I don't know about you, but I definitely need one.** I stood and started getting my shower things together. **It's still a little weird though.**

Violet was also gathering her things. "What is?"

 **Tawn and Nevada's reactions. Most people that find out about my crossdressing have either been supportive, like you, or antagonistic, like my father. So, to have them be so indifferent about it just doesn't feel right.**

"I guess that means you have something to get used to as well."

 **I suppose so.**

 **…**

When we got to the cafeteria things started out fairly normally. The other students chatted away loudly at their various tables. Soon though, they noticed me, and the room very quickly became quiet. I made my way to the line for food and tried not to pay attention to the people staring. And then they all started whispering.

 _"_ _Is that him? The guy Ozpin called out yesterday?"_

 _"_ _I can't believe he's actually a guy."_

 _"_ _Wow, he looks cute even when he isn't dressed like a girl."_

 _"_ _Do you think he's gay?"_

 _"_ _I heard rumors about him at Signal."_

The chatter continued on in a similar vein for the next few minutes as I got my food and sat down next to Tawn and Nevada. I ate steadily, I'm not even sure what I was eating, as the rest of my team and a few others around me occasionally glanced my way. It was like they expected me to explode or something. I stopped halfway through my plate when I finally got tired of it. **You do know,** I said loudly, **that I can hear** ** _every_** **word you're all saying about me, right? Or did you all forget that I'm a** ** _Faunus_** **with an** ** _excellent_** **sense of hearing?** The room went quiet once more and I returned to my food, satisfied.

After we finished breakfast, we made our way to our first class of the day, History. Teams RWBY and JNPR even managed to make it just before the bell rang. Apparently, they had lost track of time and had to run all the way from the dorms. Since they weren't late, the professor only gave them a warning.

"Many of you may be wondering why," Dr. Oobleck, which he insisted us using the title of doctor, began when class actually started, "as huntsmen and huntresses in training you are required to take lessons on history." He took a rather lengthy and loud sip from his coffee and dashed to the other side of the room. "I ask that such thoughts be immediately banished from your minds." He drained his coffee and immediately went to his thermos for a refill.

"As huntsmen and huntresses, you will undoubtedly be given assignments that take you all across the world." He sped over to a pair of girls that were whispering, about me, and silenced their chatter. "As such, having even the most basic understanding of the history of the locales you visit will help you immensely in understanding and helping the people there." He then appeared in the middle of the room, I really wish he would stand still, "As of right now, we will only be taking a general look at the world's history, as we know it. As your time here at Beacon progresses further though, we will be going more in-depth into the histories of the kingdoms." He set his cup of coffee down and briefly ran a hand through his messy green hair. "Now, who here can tell me where most scholars believe humans and Faunus originated?"

 **…**

After history came our combat class, taught by professor Goodwitch. By that point, I was beginning to feel the effects of my lack of sleep. Goodwitch stood in the center of the auditorium, checking over something on her large scroll before she addressed us.

"In this class," she began, "you will learn to hone your skills in combat. In particular, as we have the Vytal Festival happening this year, there will be an emphasis on tournament style combat. As such, today we will be preparing you for one of your most important assets being introduced this year, the ability to monitor your Aura."

Many of the students began to whisper excitedly, talking about what rumors that had heard. "As some of you may know," Goodwitch continued, "this was a topic of great discussion in many scientific communities some years back. For the most part, it was limited to Dust and medical based research and required large machines that could only be used in the lab. However, recent advancements have been made on a portable version capable of linking with scrolls. Since this device will be such an invaluable aid to huntsmen and huntresses, it is being distributed to the huntsmen academies first, and will also be a major component of the Vytal Festival's combat tournament." The whispering began again, with greater volume and excitement.

"For today, we will be getting your scrolls ready to integrate with the Aura monitors and showing you how to use them. Tomorrow morning, all students will receive their own monitor and link it to their scroll. It will be worn with your combat gear and will require most of the day to calibrate. For this reason, special permission is being given for all students to wear their combat gear all day tomorrow." The chattering continued at only half its original intensity as several conversations stopped while the students turned to look at me.

 **…**

When lunch rolled around, I was really starting to feel my lack of sleep. I grabbed whatever it was we were eating, sat down, and ate. I didn't even care that people were staring at me, whether it was me specifically or the fact that I started off immediately with a triple portion didn't matter. The rest of my team sat quietly as I shoveled food to my face.

At some point, RWBY and JNPR came and sat down across from us. They all looked rather nervous. _Awkward conversation round two, fun._ They all looked at each other, trying to decide who would go first. Yang was the first to work up the courage and try to break the ice.

 **"** So. How's, uh, your morning been?"

 **I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm tired. Besides that, I haven't had any threats or derogatory remarks yet, so I'd say it's not too bad.** **That'll probably change by the end of the day though.**

"So, you're actually a guy?" Jaune asked quietly.

 **Yep.**

After a second Ruby piped in, "And you like wearing skirts and stuff?"

 **Pretty straightforward.**

"Is there something you would prefer us to call you when you're… dressed like this?" Pyrrha asked softly.

"Oh, yeah!" Tawn said suddenly, "You were going to tell us about that."

I said something about hoping they forgotten under my breath then sighed. **My given name is Durian. I don't like that name, never have, never will. When I was a kid, one of my friends called me Doir because she thought it sounded cute. I liked it and decided to go by that instead. I'd prefer it if you call me that, no matter what I'm wearing.**

"What's so bad about Durian?" Nora asked, "It sounds like a pretty good name to me."

I was going to reply when a voice sounded behind me, "Well well, looks like we have ourselves a stink fruit."

 **Does that answer your question?** I turned around to find team CRDL behind me. **Can I help you, Cardin was it?**

"Oh, we were just stopping by," he replied smugly, "we had heard there was a new freakshow in town and wanted to check it out. I mean, two freaks for the price of one, pretty sweet sounding deal. A little disappointing that you're not dressed for the part though."

Violet was about to protest, but I cut her short. **Relax Violet, I've got this.** I returned my attention to Cardin. **Look, I'm usually down for a good round of verbal mudslinging, but I'm not really feeling it today. So, how about you take your little flock and roost somewhere else. I'll play with you some other time.**

The various members of team CDNL were taken aback, none more so than Cardin who was also rather miffed. He gave me the stink eye for a little bit, and I met his gaze like nothing was wrong. He finally broke from our little staring contest when he noticed someone, probably Tawn from the sound of it, making moves to get up. At that point, it seemed to dawn on him just how outnumbered he was.

 **Go on, we wouldn't want to cause a scene would we? Especially not with so many witnesses.** The cafeteria was almost silent, almost all of the students watching to see what would happen. **If something happened, there's no way to prevent someone from going to the teachers.**

Eventually, Cardin decided to cut his losses. "Whatever. Come on, guys." He then turned and walked off, gradually followed by the rest of his team. One of them lingered a little bit and walked a little closer than the others.

"If I was you," he whispered, "I wouldn't let us catch you alone." He walked a little farther, thought of something, then called over his shoulder, "later fag," then went to catch up.

 **Aaand there it is.**

"Doesn't that bother you?" Blake asked.

 **Not really.** I turned back around to finish off my last plate. **Given that I'm a Faunus, I've gotten pretty used to rude comments. And rumors about my preferred choice of clothing, and by extension my supposed sexuality, have been floating around since before I started at Signal. It's nothing new.**

 **…**

If professor Peach's class had been held in any other classroom, I probably would have fallen asleep. Immediately after lunch was never a good time for classes, add to that my lack of sleep and that would have meant a one-way ticket to nap time. But not in Peach's lab. There were just too many things to look at. Dioramas, posters, models, each lab table even had its own glass terrarium with little habitats for the insect it featured. Ours had centipedes, much to Nevada's dismay.

Professor Peach stood just in front of her own lab table, patiently waiting for the students to file in. She occasionally worried at the few strands of hair that had refused to stay in the bun that kept the rest of her dark hair in place. She also readjusted her lab coat from time to time, which she wore over an outfit that looked similar to the girls' uniform, but with different colors and a Beacon Logo.

When everyone finally arrived, she greeted us warmly. "Good afternoon class. We have a lot to cover and not as much time as I'd prefer to cover it. So, we'll have to skip the formalities. As huntsmen and huntresses, you'll be traveling all across the world to many diverse locations. It is my job to help you understand your surroundings and how to use them to your advantage."

She then pulled out her scroll, and with a few taps an image of a forest, not unlike the Emerald Forest, displayed on the board behind her. "Now, I know you may have mixed feelings about the Emerald Forest, having spent a sizeable amount of time there yesterday, but we will be returning there today in the form of a thought experiment." With another tap of her scroll, a Beowolf appeared in the image. "You," she said, pointing to a student in the front, "using the surroundings shown here, how many ways could you kill this Beowolf?"

 **…**

I was awoken by a distinct thud. _Shoot, I only meant to lay my head down for a moment._ I lifted my head, expecting to find an upset professor Port, but instead found an upset Boarbatusk. _What?_ Professor Port stood next to a now empty cage, and across the room, Weiss slid across the ground to reacquire her weapon. **What?**

"How was your nap?" Violet whispered. I shrugged and watched Weiss turn to face her foe.

"Weiss, go for its belly!" shouted Ruby, "There's no armor underneath."

"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss yelled back.

 **Did I miss something?**

"Just watch," Violet said, "I'll explain after."

The Boarbatusk then leapt into the air, curled into a ball, and dashed toward Weiss at an amazing speed. Rather than dodge it though, she summoned two glyphs, one in front of her and one behind. The first knocked the Boarbatusk on its back, the second she used to propel herself forward. With its underside exposed, Weiss was able to easily run the beast through. With one last squeal, it went limp.

"Bravo," Port congratulated, "Bravo! It appears we are _indeed_ in the presence of a true huntress in training. I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and stay vigilant. Class dismissed." Weiss turned and walked away, but everyone else stayed put.

 **So, what was all that about?**

"Well, Mr. Besart," said Port, "if you had not been dozing off,"

 **I am so sorry. It's just-**

"No," he said, cutting me off, "I don't want excuses. Just make sure it _doesn't_ happen again." He didn't look or sound particularly angry, but that didn't stop the wave of fear that rushed over me.

 **Yes,** **sir.**

"Remember that while your situation is more unique than most, there are plenty of students here trying to adjust as well. You are fortunate Ms. Anara can be quite persuasive. Otherwise, I would have made an example out of you. Now run along, all of you. You can't stay in this classroom all evening." He then turned to go to his desk, and the rest of us gathered our things to leave.

 **…**

 **Thanks for helping me out in Port's class Violet. I owe you one.** We had been one of the last teams to leave the cafeteria after dinner, so the halls were nearly silent.

"Don't mention it. You're my teammate and my partner, it's only natural that I'd help you out." She looked thoughtful for a moment, "Although come to think of it, Professor Port _did_ make me promise that I make sure you go to bed on time."

 **Oh don't worry, I will. I plan on sleeping like a rock tonight.**

"That's funny, I would've thought you'd sleep like a cat."

 **Hey, you're learning. I'm so proud of you.**

"Do I hear the start of a romance coming from you two?" Tawn asked as he grabbed us both by the shoulder.

 **N-no, It's not like that. I-I just, talk like that with all my friends.**

"And you of all people should know that I'm not available in that department."

 **B-besides, I'm not ready for another relationship.**

"Another?" Tawn asked mischievously, "So who was the lucky one to hold _your_ heart? Do I know 'em?"

 **No. Just drop it.**

"Come on Dior, give me the details."

 **I said drop it!** I had stopped in the middle of the hall. My ears were pressed firmly against my head, and I was shaking. I took a breath to calm myself. **I don't want to talk about it, so just drop it.**

"Yeah, sure. Sorry." We then walked back to our room in silence.

* * *

Now, some of you may be thinking, 'why did he have the classroom sections so short?' The reason is twofold; 1) I was trying to get this chapter out, as I've let it sit for far too long, and 2) I wanted to give a taste of each of the classes (especially Peach's class) without it being a boring slogfest. Since the History, Combat, and Grimm Studies classes are all featured in the show, I won't go into a lot of detail in them(unless it's pertinent to Doir). But, I do plan on having a chapter that mostly takes place during Peach's class.

If you like it, Favorite it. If you have questions or comments, leave a review. If you think someone else will like it, share it with them.


	5. No Time For Wasted Time

At this point, there is no use in trying to excuse myself on how long the chapters take me. Enjoy

* * *

Darkness and silence greeted me when I woke up. I quietly stretched and yawned. _Mm, going to bed an hour early really helped. I feel so much bette_ _r._ I grabbed my scroll to check the time and was surprised to find a series of messages from my sister Alya. The first was at eight-thirty, and each one after came at five-minute intervals.

[ _So, how's Beacon?_ ]

[ _Hello?_ ]

[ _Dooooir_ ]

[ _Why won't you answer?_ ]

I just shook my head. Sure, I had gone to bed an hour earlier than normal, for me, but she should know that night time is never a good time to get ahold of me. I closed my scroll, got out of bet, and started gathering my homework. Once I had all of it, I made my way to the closet, where the light wouldn't bother the others, and I sat down and got to work.

Since it was the first day of classes, none of the homework was particularly hard. I got through the first few reading assignments when my scroll suddenly dinged at me. It was another message from Alya.

[ _Are you awake yet?_ ]

 **[ _Yes, but why are you up?_ ]**

[ _I messaged you last night, and you didn't_ ]

[ _respond. So I figured I'd try again when_ ]

[ _I knew you'd be up._ ]

 **[ _Ok. Well, I'm doing my homework_ ]**

 **[ _right now, so what do you want?_ ]**

[ _Nerd._ ]

 **[ _Like you're one to talk miss straight_ ]**

 **[ _A's. I had to work hard to get my_ ]**

 **[ _grades up to come here._ ]**

 **[ _So, what do you want?_ ]**

[ _How's Beacon?_ ]

 **[ _It's all just sunshine and rainbows_ ]**

 **[ _every day. Everyone is super nice_ ]**

 **[ _and no one discriminates against_ ]**

 **[ _Faunus._ ]**

[ _That bad huh?_ ]

 **[ _No, but it hasn't been easy either_ ]**

I then told her the shortened version of the past few days; how I met the members of team RWBY and Jaune, getting my bearings around the school, the initiation and how I met my teammates, and the previous day. I made sure to leave out the part where I was revealed to be a guy to the whole school though.

[ _Well, at least you have some good friends_ ]

[ _though_ ]

 **[ _Yeah. I do_ ]**

 **[ _Well, I still have homework to do,_ ]**

 **[ _catch you later princess_ ]**

[ _Bye_ ]

My scroll was quiet once more, and I continued working on my assigned readings. After another couple of hours of reading and writing out my answers, the door to the closet opened. Nevada stuck his head inside, looking rather confused.

"Doir, What are you doing in the closet?"

 **Homework, what does it look like?**

"Why?"

There were a few ways I could have answered that, most of them funny. But I figured he wasn't awake enough to appreciate them. **I figured you guys wouldn't be too happy if I turned on the lights at four in the morning so I could do my homework.**

"Why didn't you work on it last night?"

 **Did you see me last night? I couldn't have focused on homework even if I wanted to. Besides, I work better in the mornings anyway, if I've gotten enough sleep at least.**

"Well, breakfast is in half an hour."

 **I know. I'm almost done. Then I'll go take a shower.**

"Alright, as long as you're aware." He then shut the door, and his footsteps proceeded out of the room.

 **…**

Once again, the whole school was gathered in the auditorium. Just about everyone chatted away noisily as they waited. Most of the conversations were about the Aura monitors, but there were still a great many that were not. Of those that weren't talking at all were fellow Faunus that clutched at their various sensitive ears in the hopes of dulling the bombardment of sounds. I, like many others I'm sure, just sat and wondered where Goodwitch was.

After another few minutes though, Professor Goodwitch stepped out onto the auditorium stage. The room quieted down until all that could be heard was hushed whispers and the clicking of Goodwitch's heels. When she stopped in front of the microphone, the rest of the whispers faded into a thick silence.

She looked across the crowd for a few moments, like she had memorized the list of enrolled students and was making sure everyone was there. Seemingly satisfied, she spoke. "Good morning students. This is a momentous occasion. For the first time in history, Huntsmen and Huntresses will have the ability to monitor their Auras in battle. This marvelous technology will no doubt save many of your lives, as you will now have information available to you that previous generations in your profession did not."

"These Aura Monitoring Devices, or AuMoD's for short, will provide you with a distinct advantage in combat. Knowing what level your Aura is at will help you to know when to start taking a more defensive strategy, or simply retreat."

"When you receive your AuMoD, a technician will help you attach it to one article of clothing and sync it to your scroll. Please make sure the piece you choose is something you always wear on your combat gear. You wouldn't want to be away on a mission and realize your AuMoD was attached to your other pants." There was a brief laugh that passed through the student body. "Now, each of you will come down to one of the four tables set up in front of me to receive your AuMoD. We'll have fourth years at the table to my left, then third years, second years, and finally first years at the table to my right." She pointed to each table in succession as she mentioned them.

As professor Goodwitch walked away from the microphone, the whole student body began to murmur excitedly as they made their way to the auditorium floor. All of us lined up, though it was certainly more clusters than lines, at the foot of each table. Everyone chatted noisily as they waited their turn to receive their AuMoD, and it seemed everything was going to go smoothly.

"Well, well, look what the cat fagged in. Seems we found the freak in its natural habitat."

 _Cardin._ I turned around and, sure enough, Cardin and his team stood there smirking to themselves. **Oh look, It's Cardin and his three little henchmen. I have to admit, I've never heard that one before. Kudos to you.** I then looked down at my wrist like I was checking the time. **Let's see, last time you talked to me was lunch yesterday. Taking out time for sleep and classes that's, what, ten hours?** **How many of those did you spend practicing that in the mirror, nine of them?** I noticed a couple students nearby wince in mock pain with their friends as they watched.

"No, I actually came up with it on the spot. I saw a cat in drag, and the first thing that came to me was fag."

 **Ooh, spontaneity _and_ rhyming. I hear they hand out extra brownie points for that. Maybe you can cash them in for a button that says "Great Job" on it.** Cardin frowned a little, but said nothing in response. **Look, I get it. You gotta get your macho fix by picking on the little guy, but I've been dealing with guys like you for a lot longer than you've been dealing with _anyone_ like me. I could go like this all day, but I doubt your precious ego would last that long. So, use that brain float'n around in that head of yours and ask yourself, "do I really want to embarrass myself in front of all these people?" **

Cardin looked around for a bit then snorted, "Whatever." He then turned around and began to walk away, "Come on guys, he's not worth it."

As Cardin's team made their way to the back of the line, one of them stayed behind again. "Don't think this proves anything, freak."

"Russell, get over here!" Cardin called.

"Soon," Russell said, contempt clearly written on his face. Then he walked away.

"Those guys need to learn when to give up," said Yang. "It's only been two days, and already they're getting on _my_ nerves."

 **Don't worry, they will. There are two things I've learned when dealing with guys like that; If you don't give them what they want, they'll eventually loose interest, and if you give them what they're giving you, it'll happen a lot faster. As much as he might not act like it, Cardin is smart. He's probably already realized he won't get what he wants from me.**

"What about the rest of his team?" Ruby asked.

 **Eh, I won't be so generous with my compliments regarding them.**

The pseudo line progressed fairly smoothly after that. When I got my turn with the technician I had him attach the AuMoD, which looked to be a piece of cloth mixed with some circuitry, to the inside of my jacket. We connected it to my scroll, and then began the day long process of letting it calibrate itself to my Aura.

 **…**

The rest of the morning passed by rather uneventfully. Dr. Oobleck talked about the supposed origins of Humanity and the Faunus, their early struggle against the Grimm, and the spreading of civilization across Anima, Sanus, and Solitas. And during our combat class, since we couldn't fight while our AuMoDs were adjusting to our Auras, we focused on maintaining our weapons. Lunch also flew by without problems.

Professor Peach's class was a different story. When we got there, she wasn't. Most probably assumed she was just running late, but after the bell rang a projection appeared at the front of the classroom. It was Professor Peach, hair completely messy, eyes red and watery, and a mask covering her nose and mouth. "I'm sorry students," she began, sounding totally hoarse and stuffed up, "This is absolutely one of the worst days for me to have gotten sick. Normally I would ask Professor Goodwitch to cover for me, but with the Aura monitors being given out today, she's rather busy making sure everything works properly. And none of the other professors are available either, so it looks like class will have to be canceled today. Please make sure to do your assignments, and I'll see you all when I'm feeling better."

When the projection faded the room was silent for only a moment. Then all at once about half the class got up and made their way out. Most of the others were trying to find out if maybe it was a joke or something. I decided not to look that gift horse in the mouth and gathered my things. The rest of my team followed suit.

"Man did we get lucky," said Tawn as we walked out of the classroom, "first we do practically nothing with Goodwitch because of these AuMoDs, then Professor Peach's class gets canceled because she's sick. At this rate, I'm thinking Port's class will be a breeze today."

"Well I for one hope Professor Peach makes a speedy recovery," said Nevada matter-of-factly.

"Yeah," said Violet, "I wonder what she caught."

 **Whatever it was, she had it bad.**

"So," said Nevada, "What are we going to do with this sudden free period?"

"I don't know about you guys," said Tawn, "but I'm going to find some girls to chat with. Later." He then walked off down another hall.

"Why am I not surprised?" Violet asked, shaking her head. "Well, I was planning on heading to the library to see what the fiction section looks like."

 **I think I'll join you, and while I'm there I can get a head start on the homework.**

"Oh, well, I guess I'll just, um, go back to our room then," said Nevada, quickly, "I'll see you at Professor Port's class!" He then turned to make his way back to our room. When he was no longer facing us though, he mumbled under his breath, "hopefully I'll find something to do before then."

 **Did he seem… off to you?**

"Yeah, just a bit. What do you think is wrong?"

 **I'm not sure, I'll give him a bit before I go check on him.**

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

 **Yes. See, one of the differences between guys and girls is that when a guy has something bothering him, he needs to think about it for a while before he's willing to talk about it. I'll give him, let's say, half an hour before I go check on him. Even then he might not be ready.**

"Okay. If you say so." She didn't sound convinced, and to be honest, neither was I.

We made our way to the library where Violet quickly dove into the fiction section while I found a seat nearby and began working. It was a little harder to focus than I had initially thought, what with the whispering(which wasn't _all_ about me) that was amplified by my hearing, and my worries about Nevada. I figured Violet hadn't heard him mumbling under his breath, even I had a little trouble since he hadn't been facing me, as she would have been far more worried if she had. After the thirty minutes finally ended, I gathered my things and made my way back to our room.

I didn't know what to expect when I made it back, so I slowly opened the door. Inside, Nevada was pacing from one wall to the other. If he had been going any faster he would have been running. Back and forth he went, completely oblivious to my presence in the doorway, and I wasn't even invisible. **You doin' okay in here Nevada?** Despite making my presence known he didn't even flinch, he just kept pacing.

"Probably not," he said without even looking at me, "I have been pacing for at least twenty-five minutes and have been unable to stop."

 **Why?**

"I was trying to figure out what to do with this aggravating block of time that just opened up in our schedules. Nothing I could think of sounded like a good option, so I kept wracking my brain over it, but my mind came up blank. Next thing I know, I check the clock and five minutes had passed, then ten, then twenty. Most of that time my mind was completely empty, and the last few minutes I have been worrying about that fact." His pace picked up ever so slightly as he continued to worry. "I was beginning to think I would be pacing here for an hour until you showed up."

I went inside and shut the door behind me, all the while he continued to pace. **Okay,** **do you think you can sit down so we can talk about this?**

"What part of 'unable to stop' did you not understand?" He let out an exasperated sigh as he continued to pace.

I rolled my eyes a bit, **Can you at least** _ **try**_ **to stop?** As if those were the magic words, Nevada froze in place. When he did though, he began to sway back and forth a bit, and his fingers started twitching. I was surprised it had been that easy, and apparently he was too. I quickly led him over to his bed and sat him down, then sat across from him on my own bed. **Okay, now I need you to just take a few minutes to take slow, deep breaths. Can you do that?** He nodded and began to slow his breathing. His eyes were darting around quickly, as if they were trying to take in every little detail at once but not registering them. After a little bit though, they weren't darting as often, and his fingers had stopped twitching.

 **Now, how about we come up with some ideas that will keep this from happening again okay?** He quietly nodded and continued his breathing. **How about reading a book? That's what Violet did.**

He shook his head, "I thought about that, but I have certain amounts of time set aside for the book I am currently reading, I don't want to finish it too quickly. And I can't get another book to only read in situations like this because I have no idea how often it might happen. It could be as often as every other week, or as infrequent as every other month. I wouldn't be able to keep a book checked out that long."

 _Well, he certainly had_ that _one thought out._ **Okay, how about working on your homework?**

Again he shook his head, "that would just shift the empty time somewhere else, and I would still have to deal with it."

 **What about something artsy? You could try drawing or-**

"I'm not creative enough for that." He quickly looked down at his feet to avoid my eyes. "I wouldn't even know what to draw anyway."

 **Oh, come on. You don't need to be creative to draw.**

"Just… no."

I sighed, **look, I'm only trying to help. But it's pretty hard for me to do that when you keep turning down my suggestions. If you don't like any of the things I offer, then just do something you would do in your free time back home.**

"I never had free time back home! I've lived on a schedule ever since I was old enough to know what one was!"

 **What do you mean?**

"Before my father and mother met, my father started a small shipping business. He ran that thing like a finely tuned clock, everything happened on time every time and was highly organized. He hoped that one day his company would be as well known for shipping as the SDC is for Dust. In order for that to happen, he knew he would have to pass it on to one of his children. My older brother and I were raised to one day take up his mantle, we were tutored in math, economics, business management, everything we would need to one day take over the company. Father ran our schedules as tightly as he ran the business. No gaps, every second used efficiently."

"Then three years ago, my brother took up the reigns and I was no longer needed. My tutoring stopped, I was no longer on a schedule, and it terrified me. I was free to do whatever I wanted for the first time in my life, but before that point I had never had enough time to figure out _what_ I wanted. I spent the first few days trying to figure out what to do with my life. That was the first time I had one of these pacing episodes."

 **Wow. I, uh, I'm not sure what to say to all that.**

"Sorry for dumping it all on you, it just, came out."

 **So, what made you decide to become a huntsman then?**

"I remembered hearing about how our ships needed huntsmen on them to protect them from the Grimm. It was the first idea that sounded somewhat appealing, so I asked my father about it and he thought it was a wonderful idea. So he sent me to Mistral, where he had a friend teaching at one of the junior huntsmen academies. I was put on a schedule again and everything seemed right again."

 _It's still a bit to take in, but at least I have something to work with here._ **Well then, perhaps you should do something huntsmen related then. How about you work on your semblance?**

He looked down again, like he did when I mentioned drawing. "Well… I mean."

 **Do you not know what your semblance is or something?**

"No, it's not that. It's just… it's dumb."

 **What, do you make little twinkling lights or something?**

"No, just… I'll show you."

He fished around in his pocket and pulled out one of his pens. He then started doodling on his sleeve. I was about to ask him why, but he then put the pen away and reached down and pulled the doodle off his sleeve. In his hands was a flat, mostly roundish thing with a pink striped blob in the middle of it. He handed it to me, and I saw that next to the pink blob was a crudely shaped fork. "Go ahead," he said, "eat it." I looked at him for a moment like he was crazy, but I picked up the fork anyway. I carefully took a bite of the pink thing and my mouth was filled with the taste of fish.

 **Is this supposed to be a plate of salmon?**

"Yeah."

 **Huh.** I shrugged and continued eating. **So, Your semblance is that you can make weird looking food?**

"I suppose that's part of it, in a way, but not really. I can turn my drawings into real objects."

 **Dude, that's an amazing semblance! There are so many things you could do with that.**

"But look at it, you couldn't even tell what it was until you ate it."

 **All the more reason to practice.**

"But I wouldn't know what to draw, or where to start."

 **Then make a list of twenty things, either basic shapes or something that would be useful as a huntsman, and any time you have free time you pick one thing from the list and draw it over and over for that amount of time. The big things you'd need to focus on are clarity and speed. When you feel comfortable with your ability on one of the things you can replace it with something else. Wait, how long do the things you draw last?**

"Ten minutes, or until it breaks." He then grabbed the empty plate and dropped it on the floor. It shattered on impact, then fizzled away into nothing.

 **Neat. And hey, that means we don't have to worry about your drawings sitting around forever, and you never have to worry about wasting paper.**

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

 **Good. Now work on that list before Grimm studies. Do you think you can handle that on your own, or do I need to sit here with you so you don't start pacing again?**

"I should be fine. Thanks, Doir."

 **No problem. Now, I'm going to get Violet and let her know that she doesn't need to worry any more.**

…

I realized I had actually done myself a favor when I fell asleep in Port's class the first time. He had a habit of rambling on about himself and his exploits during the lesson, so much so that he probably talked about himself more than he talked about Grimm. But at least when he talked about Grimm it was actually useful.

Then at dinner, we were informed that the AuMoDs were finished calibrating themselves to our Auras and that the next day we would have actual combat sessions. Everyone was abuzz for the rest of the evening.

Before I went to bed that night I noticed Nevada had finished his homework a little sooner than he expected, and I saw him laying on his bed doodling as I fell asleep.

* * *

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